


"Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?"

by amymaria



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Dissociation, Donnie Darko - Freeform, Halloween, Horror, M/M, Mild Smut, Suspense, TOPFL Halloween Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-10 14:52:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12301470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amymaria/pseuds/amymaria
Summary: It's nearly Halloween.Title from Donnie Darko.





	1. Chapter 1

Josh sat alone in his living room. The only light entering came from the thin gaps in his blinds where the streetlamps shone outside. It was midnight, and he had no plans of moving to his bed where he could comfortably fall asleep. No, he'd rather stay still, not even thinking, simply reenacting the dead. Only the silence couldn't last forever. A loud knocking came from the front door down the hallway. Josh didn't even flinch, didn't wonder why someone would be round at this time of night, and certainly didn't move to open the door. The knocking continued, increasing in volume, perhaps in hopes that if Josh were asleep, it'd wake him up. Josh wasn't asleep though, he was closer to being paralysed.

"Josh it's me! C'mon open up, I know you're awake!" Tyler. Tyler was here. That rang something familiar in his clouded mind. He should get up, or should he? Josh isn't sure anymore, he isn't sure he has the ability to move his body. Why are his legs not moving? "Josh I'm coming in, I know where you keep your spare key." Tyler was coming in. Tyler his friend. Oh, Tyler could help. "Help me Tyler," Josh wants to say, " I can't move my legs."

Josh shifts his eyes to look at his friend entering the room, concern written all over his face at finding his inanimate friend sat in the dark. He doesn't question it though, Josh knows he's been in similar situations before. Josh knows of both Tyler's fondness and fear of the dark. How Tyler finds it easier to think and write, as well as being terrified of the monsters that lurk in the darkest corners of his bedroom. So without another moment passing, Josh finds himself wrapped in the cocoon of Tyler's arms. The heat from Tyler's body seeps into Josh's own, warming his bones he didn't know had gone cold.

"I'm putting a film on for us both. Donnie Darko sound good to you?" Tyler didn't wait for a reply before taking the DVD out of his bag and into the Playstation. Once the film had started, Tyler returned to cuddle Josh, both shifted around until they found the most comfortable position: Tyler spooning Josh, their heads placed one above the other so they could watch the TV from a 90 degree angle. "This okay?" Tyler asked, his voice box vibrating against Josh's head. Josh hummed in response, already feeling more like a person now that he wasn't alone.

"Tyler, I- I couldn't-"

"Josh it's okay, I came over to watch this with you, and I'm so glad I did."

"No Tyler, I couldn't move, I don't know what was wrong. It's like I wasn't here."

"It's called dissociating, I've noticed you do it before. You zone out in conversations all the time, your eyes don't even blink, I just thought you knew about it Josh. It's okay though. Are you okay with it?"

Josh paused, looking at his friend. Was he okay with it? "Most of the time... yes. I-I'm okay with it."

"Good. Now c'mon we're missing the film." Tyler squeezed his arms round Josh's middle, both returning their gaze to the TV. Not long passed before Tyler gasped. "Josh! I know what we can wear on Halloween!" Josh simply rolled his eyes at his friend, of course he'd get so excited about Halloween. Josh may have been a few months older than Tyler, but it certainly felt at lot longer sometimes. Tyler could be so childish, but it's not so bad, it makes Josh feel younger too sometimes. He forgets he's 25.

"Go on, what can we wear?"

"Ill dress up as Donnie, in the skeleton costume, and you can dress up as Frank!"

"You want me to wear a bunny outfit? Dude, that sounds a bit kinky to me."

"Josh," Tyler tsked, "Of course not like that, it has to be the real outfit, super creepy. Ill pay for it because it's probably going to be expensive." Josh watched Tyler start planning it out in his head. Good thing the two had already seen the film a million times before because they just about missed half of it by now.

"Tyler what are we doing on Halloween? I'm not sure I want to go to another party this year." Josh thought back to all the previous ones he'd been to. He never enjoyed them, he always felt like an outsider at social events due to his anxiety. And both Josh and Tyler weren't ones to drink. Yet Tyler seemed to become intoxicated by simply feeding off the atmosphere so he never appeared to have a problem.

"That's fine, I've already thought about some stuff we could do. There's an abandoned laboratory not far from here which I thought would be cool to check out. I thought they'd burn it down or something in case of toxic chemicals but it was like privately owned so they just left it there. What do you think?"

Josh nodded, "Yeah sure, why not."


	2. Chapter 2

"How can you work there?" Josh asked, barely hiding the slight disgust he felt towards Tyler's job. The two were currently sat in Josh's car as he picked Tyler up from work to drive them to Josh's house. They planned on having a "bro date".  
"That's like me asking you how can you possibly dye your hair green?" Tyler gave Josh a sideways glance, a smirk pulling up a corner of his mouth. The green haired man glanced to his friend's lips. Were they always that full? Josh swallowed.  
"Dude, it's literally the night before Halloween. Green is spooky. But working as an undertaker? That must get depressing." Josh finally brought his eyes back up to Tyler's own brown ones. Were they always so sparkly?  
"Dude, quit looking at me like that. And watch the road, we've been sat at a green traffic light for five minutes now."  
"Oh shit." Josh felt his face heat up, he'd clearly been checking his friend out. Oh god. Tyler must think he's an idiot.  
"Josh relax. It's cool, you're not too bad lookin' yourself."   
"What?" Josh was so confused. Was he dreaming? Did Tyler actually say that? Josh flashed his eyes towards the brown haired man sat beside him, finding a bright smile showing off his crooked bottom teeth. It was infectious, Josh couldn't help but smile back. He'd known Tyler how long? A good 8 years, they'd met half way through high school due to mutual friends. They weren't the closest, Josh tended to hand out with his best friend Debbie more. And Tyler hung out with Jenna, right? Josh had only met her once, she seemed pretty easy going. So where had these feelings come from? Ugh feelings. They never treat Josh well in the past, always longing for his unattainable crushes during school, causing him to spend half his classes daydreaming about that one hot guy who he'd happened to make eye contact with in the hallway etc.... Tyler was different though. Tyler was mysterious. There was always another side to the man that Josh could never figure out, always kept him curious. Tyler was funny too. Tyler was-  
"Watch out! Jeez Josh, maybe you shouldn't be driving, we nearly knocked that old man over."  
"Sorry, my head seems to be in the clouds". Josh said sheepishly. They were practically home now, thank goodness. "Oh I just remembered, my mum says that some parcels addressed to me had arrived at her house, she's left dropped them off inside mine. I bet it's the Halloween costumes."  
"About time," Is all Tyler said.  
The two men arrived at Josh's house, a small terraced building with wilting flowers hanging out of the window boxes and all curtains drawn shut. The grass could do with cutting as well. They made their way inside where Josh got out a can of red bull for them both and began to unpack the parcels. Sure enough, one contained the Frank costume, the other a skeleton suit.  
"I'm not wearing that." Josh said, eyeing the ugly teeth curling up into a menacing smile on the rabbit outfit. "No way."  
"Fine Ill dress as Frank. You can be Donnie, You'll have to borrow my grey fleece jacket to go with it. Plus it'll keep you warm on our exploration tomorrow."  
"Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

Tyler was asleep. Like fast asleep. His head in Josh's lap, hair ruffled and lips parted. If it wasn't for the fact that Josh had placed the glass screen of his phone against Tyler's mouth to check he was breathing, he would have thought his friend had died. The man was unbelievably still; even his lungs barely rose each time he inhaled. Josh thought Tyler looked like a doll, his own life-sized doll. That sounded creepy, but c'mon, they had just watched Child's Play one, two and three, so no wonder he was making these comparisons. The green haired man didn't particularly enjoy the films but Tyler certainly seemed to; his eyes had been almost glued to the laptop the whole time whilst they lay in Josh's bed. Tomorrow they might watch 'Silence of the Lambs', or a 'Saw' film, or Josh's personal favourite, 'The Shining', since it would be Halloween. Before Josh could continue deciding, however, the brown haired man in his lap began to stir. Fingers twitched as long lashes fluttered open, revealing those oh so perfect brown eyes boring into Josh's own hazel ones.  
"You have good skin Josh." Tyler whispered, still waking up.  
"Urm, thanks? You too I guess."  
Tyler chuckled, rolling his eyes, "That sounded weird. But your skin is super smooth, and pale, like porcelain. Can I touch you?"  
And that question didn't have make Josh's heart thump in his chest; all he could do in response was nod repeatedly, eyes wide like a child being asked if they wanted to open their presents on Christmas.  
So Tyler reached out, his long fingers tracing down Josh's arm and back up, raising goosebumps along the way. Up, across clothed shoulder blades, up further along Josh's neck, causing the man to shiver due to sensitivity. Tyler smirked whilst continuing his path upon Josh's face, where his middle finger ran across smooth lips, rosy cheeks, soft eyelids. Down round the back of Josh's head where Tyler wasn't so gentle; fingers stretched out, rubbing through short hair, massaging the scalp. Neither spoke, the only sounds heard were Josh's quickened breaths. Tyler came up into a kneeling position on the bed and slowly leaned forwards, his lips barely touching Josh's own. "So pretty Joshua. So, so pretty. Will you be mine?" He whispered, their breaths now being exchanged with each other.  
"Yes" Josh whimpered, and at last closed the gap between them, pressing his lips against Tyler. It was perfect; he could kiss Tyler's lips forever. Of course kissing didn't seem to be the only thing Tyler wanted from Josh, having already swung his leg over Josh's own, pressing their crotches together. Oh boy things were heating up fast, Josh thought.  
"Relax Josh, I know you want me. I can tell when your deep in thought, you look at me, my body, without realising. But I want you too, I want your body to be mine."  
Josh couldn't help but buck his hips up into Tyler's after that. He needed to release the pressure building inside, and by feeling the body on top of him, so did Tyler. Soon the brown haired man was tugging both their shirts off whilst grinding down, sweet moans escaping his lips every so often.  
"I need you Ty, so good, feels so good."  
Neither had removed their black jeans, and neither cared. Josh simply grabbed a hold of Tyler's hips, turning them over so Josh was on top, and held the man down firmly as Josh humped him like a dog in heat.  
"Oh God faster Josh, harder" Tyler then mewled. Actually mewled. How was that possible? Didn't matter because the very sound was enough to have Josh chasing his finish, slowing his grinding down as his boxers became sticky. Before slumping onto the bed, the man reached into Tyler's own boxers, tugging until the other released also. With one last moan escaping him, Tyler let go over Josh's hand.   
"That was so good, Ty. We have to do that again some time."  
"Yeah but I think I need to sleep again first." They both chuckled whilst removing their last items of clothing. Then the two lay down, blanket wrapped around tight, their legs slotted together, Tyler's head on Josh's chest. It was perfect. Josh couldn't stop his heart from swelling with pride while watching Tyler slowly lose consciousness. Not long after, Josh fell asleep also.


	4. Chapter 4

Screams. Why could Josh hear screaming? And why did it sound like it was coming from his kitchen?  
The man lay in bed a moment longer, listening to the muffled noise before being able to hear the sound of a high-pitched beating as well as other electronic sounds forming a ... song? Yes, there was now singing involved too. What kind of music was this? It was certainly disturbing, that much Josh could say.  
After stretching his stiff joints and pulling on some shorts (hence reminding him that Tyler had stayed last night so where was the brown-haired man now? - perhaps that was him in the kitchen.), Josh ventured down the corridor to find that, yes, it was Tyler in the kitchen, who also happened to be playing music from Josh's Bluetooth speaker pretty loud. The man was also apparently holding a knife, and a big one at that. And, oh God, what was that red mark on Tyler's shirt?  
"You want a bacon sandwich?" He asked without even glancing at Josh. Oh, he was slicing bread, and of course, he had a bottle of tomato sauce out on the side. No murders here. Josh was safe.  
"Could you turn that down?" Josh replied irritably whilst also taking a seat across the table Tyler stood at.  
"Yeah sorry, you're not a fan of Crystal Castles I presume?"  
"Of who?"  
"C'mon Josh, I was just playing a sick song, it's called 'Courtship Dating'. You don't like it?"  
"Not at this time on a morning. What time is it any- oh what the hell? It's 4pm? Dude I've slept like a solid 15 hours, you should have woke me up." Josh then grabbed one of the sandwiches Tyler had made and proceeded to fill his empty stomach which he suddenly realised was grumbling loudly. And no wonder since he hadn't exactly eaten since... when was the last time? Josh tried to think, and couldn't recall having eaten anything over the past couple of days.  
"Nah, I couldn't you were sleeping so soundly," Tyler laughed softly, "Hey you do realise it's October 31st? Hallow's eve my good friend."  
"Oh yeah! Are we going to explore that lab later?"  
"Yeah, I think we should, it looks so creepy dude, you'll love it."  
"We going in costume?"  
"Of course, we might bump into others along the way or even inside the place. Its so old, I wouldn't be surprised if other people have the same idea of going too, maybe it's haunted."  
Josh can recall passing the town's abandoned lab research facility just off one of the highways deep in the forest. The building itself gave Josh the spooks just thinking about it. It was once white but now it easily showed the dirt and moss covering its walls. Large rusty metal pipes fed out and around the building and round the back had been large neon yellow barrels with the toxic symbol painted on in black. Josh could just picture men in hazmat suits walking around it now, as though the place was still in use. Good thing nobody had been inside for years. Maybe Josh and Tyler themselves won't be able to enter; the big metal doors must be sealed without a doubt. Josh didn't voice this thought though, he didn't want Tyler to be anymore determined to get inside. So long as they enjoyed the car journey there and back, the green haired man didn't mind.  
"I better go get my costume on then" Josh said once he finished his meal, his tone void of emotion so as not to give away his doubts.  
"Yeah me too, I'll pick you up at 10 yeah?"  
"Sure, see you later Ty," Josh wasn't sure whether to give a goodbye kiss after last nights events. Tyler seemed to understand though as he swiftly leant in, meeting their lips for a brief moment.  
"Bye Josh," he smiled.  
"You'll be the death of me, Tyler" Josh said once his friend shut the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Courstship dating // Crystal Castles is what I used to influence this work, particulaly the next few chapters. Any kudos/comments are greatly appreciated by the way! Thanks for reading so far.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, isn't that where you work? I didn't realise it was so close to the abandoned lab."  
Tyler was driving the car, taking Josh and himself to the lab where they planned to spend the evening, or as Josh hoped, as little time as possible due to the uneasy feeling in his stomach he couldn't seem to shake. Josh sat in his skeleton onesie, Tyler in the grey rabbit suit, the head sat on the back seat. Out the window, Josh couldn't make out much in the dark, only a dark blur of green pine trees and the occasional road sign such as "20 mph" and "Cemetery". Tyler was going way above the speed limit.  
"Yeah it is" He replied.  
Tyler had been pretty quiet since they'd set off. His replies being short and un-opening to conversation. Perhaps he was nervous, even a little scared like Josh. After all, it was dark outside, and Josh knows how much the dark doesn't play well with his friend's thoughts. The quietness also didn't help, but when Josh tried turning on the radio, all that came through the speakers was white noise. Guess there was no signal in this part of the woods since it was some distance away from the town's centre. Josh's head felt like it was filled with white noise. His gaze became unfocused, all thoughts leaving his head, each sensation leaving his body....  
"Josh!"  
The man, himself, jumped only to be restrained by the seat belt. "What? What's going on?"  
"We're here. You've been out of it for the past ten minutes, dude. C'mon I think the back door is open, can you believe?"  
Josh quickly came to his senses; sure enough, the dirty white walls of the laboratory stood hauntingly in front of them, lit solely by the car's headlights.  
"Are you sure this is a good idea Tyler?"  
"Of course, you're not already spooked out, are you? There's probably nothing in there except dusty equipment." Tyler eyed Josh, his brows furrowed down, lips pressed firmly together.  
"I just have a bad feeling is all," Josh replied whilst climbing out of the car anyway. After retrieving the rest of his costume from the back and tucking it under his arm, Tyler left the headlights on so they could make their way forwards. Once the pair got round the side of the building, they both turned on the flashlights on their phones. The neon yellow barrels no longer stood as Josh remembered. Perhaps the local authorities had to remove them due to wildlife safety.  
Sure enough, around the back of the building was a metal door swung open, nearly falling off of the hinges. Other people must have been here before, though Josh didn't think the place was that well known. "You're going first," he whispered to Tyler. His friend simply shrugged and walked through the black rectangular void ahead. Josh quickly followed so as not to lose him despite the beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead and the feeling of a piece of string being tied multiple times around his heart, pulling tighter and tighter. 'Whats the worst that could happen?' Josh thought in an attempt to calm himself. Bad idea though because, honestly, anything could happen inside that building.


	6. Chapter 6

The odour is what hit Josh first. It smelt worse than bleach and, honestly, felt worse than bleach. After following Tyler into the old research facility, Josh immediately became hampered by burning fumes that stung his eyes and nostrils, causing the man to pause in order to take in his surroundings and figure out the best solution was to take off his grey hooded jacket and wrap it around his neck in a make shift bandanna. The smell probably came from acid stored and abandoned somewhere in the lab. Josh didn't really want to find out but as he flashed his phone torch around the room, he found Tyler already rounding the corner at the other end, the fancy dress rabbit mask placed on his head, twisted ears nearly touching the ceiling. Josh shivered at the eerie sight, almost forgetting that that was his friend under the costume. Not wanting to be left isolated in the cold and empty entrance room, Josh quickly rushed after Tyler, making his way into a long corridor, the end disappearing into blackness where the phones' light could not reach. He wanted to call for his friend, tell him to slow down. And where was he rushing off to anyway? Did Tyler not feel scared at all? Or was he so scared he was trying to rush through and out of there? What if they got trapped at the main exit? Josh shivered again but continued his fast pace, going further and further into what felt like the setting of a horror film. His footsteps echoed, both disrupting and deafening in the silent passageway.  
After what felt like years, Tyler finally turned left and disappeared through a doorway; the two would be free of this place.

Josh couldn't be more wrong.

As soon as he made it to the door, it slammed shut in his face causing Josh to be submerged in a terrible feeling of despair which multiplied tenfold as he heard the click of a lock.  
"Tyler! Tyler open the door! Don't leave me out here please please! I don't like it in this place! Tyler please!" Josh called desperately, slamming his open palm against the grey metal and shaking the door handle with the other.  
What kind of sick joke was this anyway? Yes it was Halloween, but that gives nobody the right to terrify their friend.  
Unless the door swung shut on its own and had an automatic lock? It was hard to tell when being suffocated by darkness. And either way Josh could do nothing except turn back, yet that seemed impossible when he was on the brink of a panic attack.  
Josh didn't have to turn back however, because the door was already opening once again, allowing the man to come face to face with that disturbing rabbit mask and an even stronger wave of that sickening, acidic scent.  
"Come on in, Joshie. I have something to show you." That was Tyler's voice, thank God. It gave Josh hope to finally hear something normal in this place, even if it was said in a slightly menacing tone. And what was Josh to do except follow his friend's command? Stay out there alone and frozen in fear? No thank you. He'd rather go in and face whatever horror was to come next as long as he had Tyler.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just reread this and realised Im never writing smut again because that earlier chapter was so cringey I apologise. Also found spelling errors ew. I really need to check these thoroughly before posting.  
> Also, stuffs about to get gory...

The sight before Josh was something he could not comprehend. It was an image so horrific it would forever plague him with night terrors and all he could do was stand and stare, frozen in fear.  
Before him was a large white room, dimly lit by yellow LED poles placed on floor close to the walls. Closest to Josh was a metal table full of surgical tools and a shelf holding large tubs of different chemicals. Beside the shelf, Josh found where the toxic barrels had got to; now they each had "FORMALHYDE" labels. To the right, behind the table was a large, rectangular glass tub. The contents made Josh's stomach drop.  
Inside was a body. A real human body. It was suspended in some sort of transparent liquid causing it to have a waxy appearance. It was also completely bald, and both eyes and mouth were closed as though it was sleeping peacefully.  
Nothing could have been more disturbing except for what Josh saw next at the very back of the room.  
Three more bodies were placed side by side, however, instead of being submerged in a tank, they were stood up like mannequins. They even looked plastic too, but unfortunately, Josh wasn't fooled. These subjects had all had been created through human taxidermy. And Tyler was their sculptor.  
After closer inspection, Josh realised he recognised one of the bodies. Even though he'd only met her once, the man could see clear as day that the middle figure belonged to Jenna. Josh then proceeded to empty his stomach onto the white tiles.

"You don't like my work, Josh?" Tyler finally spoke, breaking the rising tension caused by one anothers' silence. Josh risked glancing at Tyler, feeling some-what relieved that he had removed the rabbit head and was instead wearing a white surgical mask. Tyler then continued "C'mon, that was a little rude don't you think? I know it's not exactly something for the faint-hearted but I've spent so much time on this project. Wouldn't you say it's turned out successful? Each one is perfectly preserved with not a hair out of place. Well, metaphorically speaking; I did have to give them each synthetic hair as the acid removes it all. And don't worry! I didn't murder them all; only Jenna was killed because she was just too perfect to not keep. She's beautiful, is she not? The rest of the bodies I stole from the cemetery I work at. I then had to go through the process of plastification by removing certain parts from inside and bathing the bodies in acid. Clever, right? I was taught by my father; he used to hunt, preserve and mount his own animals did you know? All around the house he kept them. And now here we are. You've not said a word, Joshie. Too stunned?  
Yes, it's bizarre, I know. The only reason I kept this secret is because the world would surely turn against me in disdain. People are full of moral pride. But anyway, I'd like you to do the honours of being my next piece, Josh. You'd look wonderful- well you already do!- but even more so once I've done. You already told me your body belongs to me. I just want to make sure it is forever. What do you say?"  
Josh, who had been almost as still as one of the bodies throughout Tyler's spiel, had not been able to make a sound. His throat had closed and the taste of bile was ever-present on his tongue. He could not help but listen to Tyler confess his psychopathic hobby who spoke incredulously with passion, and now Josh was to be a part of this nightmare. How had Josh not known? Not once had his instincts warned him of Tyler's behaviour. Maybe Josh lacked that sixth sense, or maybe he always over-looked it when in the company of his no-longer-friend. Either way, Josh was now Tyler's next victim. He would be mounted like an art piece; his only purpose would be to collect dust.  
And what could he do? If he ran now, Tyler would catch him at some point. That ruled out the flight response, the other option would be to fight. Josh quickly calculated his next moves, a small part of him wondering how he was managing to even process this. It was probably his adrenaline now kicking in full pelt, allowing him to think his options through. Before Tyler could even blink, Josh grabbed one of the barrels (which was heavier than anticipated), ripped the lid off and chucked the contents out over the man smiling wickedly before him. Tyler then shrieked a painfully loud cry with arms out raised as the chemicals burned his exposed skins. The sight was ghastly to say the least as the flesh reddened and bubbled, hissed and emitted wisps of smoke.  
After a few moments of screaming and sizzling, Tyler collapsed, dead on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this disturbed some of you as it certainly disturbed me researching this. It's the first time in years that Ive wrote something of the horror genre and with any luck I wrote it some what well.


	8. Chapter 8

_Holy fuck._

This wasn’t real. This wasn’t real. _This wasn’t real._

Josh had killed someone. Josh had killed his friend. His only friend. _Josh had killed his only friend._

He knew the next best thing would be to call the police; tell them what had happened; he’d acted in self-defence. But Josh needed a minute to process what happened. And then he needed a lot longer than a minute to mourn over the previous events. He couldn’t help but stare at Tyler’s gruesome corpse, a mere heap on the floor.

Tyler had been a psychopath the whole time Josh had known him. Or rather, he _thought_ he had known him. The way the man’s eyes had lit up when he professed his felonies, would always be engraved into Josh’s mind. And how was he supposed to live now after that traumatic experience? Josh would never be the same. A lifetime of loneliness and terrifying flashbacks stretched out ahead.

And, God, he was still in that room with those things. Perfects corpses that sent shivers down his spine. He needed to leave. Now. Before his imagination caught up with him, before they’d come alive, causing the man to see slight movements in his peripheral vision. And the constant burning smell of chemicals would only help bring his fears to light.

Like the flick of a switch, Josh went from completely immobile, to sprinting out of the doorway and back down the long corridor in a flash, his phone torch leading the way. His heart started racing again, almost as fast as it had in that room, yet the only thing left to run from was his own illusive anxieties. Josh had that feeling of someone following him, chasing after him so they could pull him back into that place of hell.

Just run. Oh please, just run out of there. The end is in sight; you’ll be safe soon.

Josh let out a sob as his feet carried him as fast as they could. Finally, he pushed open the exit door and could breathe fresh air again. He didn’t stop running, though. Only once he was back inside the car did he stop. Not a second later did he speed out of there and head to the police station to give a statement.

That took a while. How long, Josh didn’t know. He was more focussed on not having a breakdown by simply recalling events as though it was someone else who went through that, so he could remove himself from emotion.

But now? He was alone. Out wandering along the pavement, past the station and rows of shops and houses. Josh kept going, and as he did, he let the tears release, flowing continuously, causing his sight to blur. But it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to head home. How could he when he’d just be reminded of Tyler?

In truth, Josh had forgotten it was Halloween as teenagers and adults alike, walked past dressed in costume, most of them drunk but thankfully not looking for any trouble. One of them had zombie face paint on and Josh couldn’t help but jump over a park fence into a patch of bushes to hide until the voices had gone. It must have been gone past midnight, perhaps these people were returning home from parties; Josh didn’t really care. He sat, knees bent, his forehead touching, and arms wrapped round his legs, rocking himself on the grassy floor as images of those dead people flashed before his eyes. And Tyler, how he burnt right before him.

Josh isn’t sure how long he spent curled up there. It could have been days, yet no one found him. Eventually he left, though. He walked to his mother’s house, not far from where he was now. He wondered if the police had found Tyler’s body yet. He also wondered if his mother wouldn’t mind if he stayed at hers for a while.

He wondered if Tyler believed that destruction is a form of creation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end.  
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
